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Dan Heng wielded his spear, slashing left and right to the raging black tide monsters that once again spawned, endangering the village that rests far away from the city. At this point, cleaning up the monsters had been a daily habit for him. Not long after the monsters are cleared, the once shivering citizens approached him, singing praises for his heroic deeds of relentlessly protecting the city from dangers. He would simply brush it off, claiming it was but his duty to protect. And then he would leave once again, wandering to ward off the abominations, leaving the spectator in awe. It became a habit, a new normal for him. But it wasn't like this before. Far, far away in the “future” the man once belonged to an Express, hopping off between planets to trailblaze. The original timeline that he belonged to, the companions that he missed dearly.
How long has it been?
He absently wondered as he polished his spear. Countless years of fighting had worn the Cloudpiercer, inevitably needing modification and repairment. The weapon held in his hands now is the result of several enhancements to keep it at its prime. His mind drifted off to when he turned back in time. He originally had planned to return to the express, aided by the Genius’ help. But unfortunately, his plan failed. Unlike Stelle that was equipped with the curio that prevents her from getting affected by Amphoreus’ turbulent code, he practically was laid bare in front of the Specter's system, which resulted in him getting swept along the time reversal.
Then, what he remembered was him being stranded in a far away land, no trace of complex civilization like in the Okhema was found. It was only him, waking up in the middle of the mountains, with no one and no means whatsoever to reach external communication given the desolate highland. Then he remembered wandering around, almost aimlessly. His whole purpose was to wait for the flame-chase journey to begin once again, to wait for the return of his companion to his side once again. Until then, he continued his path to trailblaze, aiding those in need in his reach, fighting the black-tide monsters that stubbornly spawned sporadically amidst his journey.
And then one day, the Imperator appointed him to bear the Earth Titan's coreflame. It was the tipping point where things began to change. When he absorbed the coreflame, he felt the earthen power thrived in him, strong and unyielding, yet gentle and calm like the unshakable mountains. His journey now was not solely to wait for the trailblazer to come; it was also to bear the divinity of the Earth Titan, anchoring and supporting the earth for the Amphorean citizens. What he could help, he does without hesitation. Those who were powerless against the raging monsters, he protected like how he once did to his companions.
Without him noticing, years had gone by. From decades to centuries. From centuries to millenia. His body too, had adapted to his new power. His horns are now more dromas-like rather than the long and slender ones he used to have from the high elder's legacy. His tail is now comfortably manifested behind him, unlike the translucent ones, now resembling more of an earth dragon's rather than water ones. His hair naturally grew longer, and he kept it tied to make fighting easier. Even his eyes changed, now golden, more resembling the earth than the teal ever resembled the sea.
He wondered, what would his companion think when they saw him? Flabbergasted? Maybe. In awe? Well, regardless, the raccoon of the train would surely ask unending questions of his transformation, just like how she did back when he revealed his Imbibitor Lunae form. He could only guess though, as there is only one way to find out, and yet, nobody knows for how much longer he needs to wait there in the isolated planet in order to return to his home.
His mind went back to the present. In the distance, the dawn device Kephale bore emitted an unending sunray could be seen. He recalled a conversation with one of the Chrysos Heirs, questioning as to why he wouldn't stay on Okhema and preferred staying in the mountains instead.
“Lord Dan Heng, may I ask why you refused to stay in Okhema? Not that I'm against your choice, as the Imperator gave you the permission to. But surely, staying in the capital would be a great aid.”
“The people that need help are not only in Okhema,” Dan Heng trailed off as his gaze wandered towards the fake sky. The Heir was about to rebuke, but he finished his sentence first.
“Besides, I'm waiting for someone.”
The heir fell silent. The longing in his gaze was heavy. His eyes are not exactly focused on anything, as if trying to capture the sight beyond the visible sky. They knew better than to ask. And so, Dan Heng found himself an abode in the mountains, claiming it as his temporary “home”, for it is only a building to reside. It could never truly be his “home”, for home is wherever his family is.
He could imagine the train crew, Himeko and her peculiar taste of coffee, Welt that despite his old age, still full of trailblazing spirit, Pom-Pom who would keep the train impeccably clean and tidy and won't hesitate to nag at whoever dares to disturb it. And then there’s the three youngest among the crew that more often than not stick together in their expedition.
Worry began to crawl once again beneath his skin as March 7th whereabout was still unknown, despite him seeking every corner in the Amphoreus. And then there's Stelle, part of their trio who couldn't withhold her curiosity, always acts first before thinking, the Nameless who embody the Trailblazing path itself. His companion. His lover.
There he goes once again, reminiscing the old times he spent with his found family. Despite their journey being short compared to his time in Amphoreus, the memory is held dearly in his heart. It served as his anchor, his identity. Although the merciless time had corroded his memories bit by bit, the sentiment would remain true in his heart. That he once had a family in the distant sky. That one day, his companion would come back to him, side-by-side facing the calamity once more.
Every time he missed his family, he would look up the gallery on his phone. Though the picture was not as many as March's, it would bring comfort to his mind. Most of the pictures were for the Archive, and the rest are either when the girls are hijacking his phone or when his phone was simply the one most accessible at the moment. The times when he's unsure of himself, the time he began to forget the features of his family, he would find himself scrolling through his camera roll, and he would find the strength in him once more. To take a step forward. To pass through the unforgiving passage of time.
The highlands gave comfort to him, as it is the closest to the sky. It served as a silent promise that someday, the person he'd been waiting for would come, as if that someone would come back to him from the distant sky, like a shooting star.
Though the daylight is ever-present, Dan Heng had established his own circadian rhythm to keep his sleep schedule intact. He retreated to his hut, finally opting to rest for the day. However, even after a thousand years, he still hasn't been freed from nightmares. Today, he dreamed about Stelle. The vibrant, cheeky smile adorned her face, as if hinting that she was about to do another mischief. Radiant, just like a starlight. Then he ran after her, as if playing the game of tag. He would chase, and she would evade. The chase continued on and on. He hoped the chase would never end; an assurance that she'd be there still, though unclaimable, she existed and won't be gone, for as long as the chase lasts. And yet, she gets further and further. His pace couldn't keep up, and gradually, she went out of his sight. Then, he was left in nowhere, alone. He abruptly woke up from the dream, his cheeks wet from the tears he shed during his sleep. He looked to his side and found the bedding empty.
Of course, it's empty. It has always been, for a thousand years.
He laughed bitterly. What was he hoping for? Dan Heng brushed the thought off as he chugged a glass of water empty, and decided to go out to get some fresh air. Back in the Express, everyone had the phase of being concerned with his recurrent nightmares, though no one truly mentioned it and instead offered help to make his sleep more peaceful. The thought brought warmth in his chest. He couldn't give up just yet. It was fortunate that he is a long-life species. Even though he had waited for a thousand years, he could wait for eternity, believing and believing that the day he returned to the Express would finally come, someday.
His gaze fell to the distant sky once more. Somewhere, the Express must be there, waiting for their crew to come back and set off the journey once more. As he was absently lamenting the sky, he saw a certain thing. It moved like a shooting star, yet it got bigger and bigger…. Was it heading his way? As he was trying to figure out what was the alien thing on his way, he began to realize what was falling.
“Stelle?!”
The last thing she remembered was her bearing the Deliverer title she inherited from Phainon. And then, she met Cyrene and had a long, long chat. However, she couldn't remember what had happened that led to the situation she was in now.
She was freefalling. From the sky.
The very first thing she recognized after she woke up was the sight of the sky. But the sky was never ending; she couldn't see the ground. It was then the realization hit. She was falling. The cycle must have been reset, given the random place she's in right now. But nobody told her that the summoning point would be as random as possible.
“Aghhhh, fuck you, Lygus! Or whoever designed this specter!!”
How could she be summoned in the sky, like the mobs in Minecr*ft? Did they not think of the summoning point through and just chose a random coordinate? How the hell has Phainon survived all the cycles then, if he straight up got killed from freefalling the moment the time turned back? This made no sense, and Stelle could only say curse words as the ground began to be seen; getting closer and closer as her velocity accelerated at an alarming speed.
For the past years, it has been the third time she free fall from the skies. First, it was when she woke up in Penacony. Second, it was when she and Dan Heng arrived in Amphoreus (though she was inside the cabin, but the free fall still counts anyway). And now, she fell once again, but without the cabin to protect her, or being in a dream. She's simply falling with no safety measures whatsoever. If her life was a game, then she should've gotten an achievement for hitting a hattrick of freefalling without a miss.
What the hell is she even supposed to do in this situation? Several solutions popped up in her mind.
1. Reset the cycle again and hope that she wouldn't be summoned to a peculiar place again
2. Give up and die once again
3. Curse at Lygus
She hated her mind. Given the circumstances, the only viable option is to curse at Lygus vigorously and hope that she would at least fall into the sea, or that Castorice would retrieve her soul once more. As she chanted every foul word she knew across the universe, she saw the ground getting closer, and unfortunately she wasn't going to fall to the sea, as the view of visible mountain rocks that protruded from the ground could be seen. Then, she saw a lone figure standing on the mountains, as if they were watching a star falling from the sky.
“Hey, watch out! I'm about to crash!!”
She shouted to warn the man, but he didn't listen.
“Hey, can't you hear me?! I'm not a shooting star!! MOVEEE!!”
But her scream didn't reach him. No, she thought it did reach him, but he simply didn't listen to her words. So be it, then, she thought. She just arrived back in time and the dead body count already increased by one. Or two, considering she might not make it.
She closed her eyes and braced for the impact. However, the expected crash never came. In fact, she could feel a pair of arms holding her. As they moved backwards, the ground which was supporting the man cracked from the impact. Then they fell, rolling and rolling until the impact grew weaker. At last, they stopped, leaving the grey-haired girl lying on top of the man.
“Cough, cough….. Huh, I'm alive? Hey, are you okay?” Stelle said between her labored breath from the sheer adrenaline of freefalling, the dust from their impact obscuring her view of the man.
“That was really dangerous, you know. I warned you several times, yet you didn't listen! What, did you think I was a shooting star or something? And tried to catch it?? That's a dumb move,” She trailed off once again, catching her breath from speaking too quickly and keeping up with her palpitating heart.
“...A shooting star, huh? I surely caught one.”
“What did you say?!”
“You know, rather than being angry, a thanks would be nice.”
Then the realization hits. Right, the man must have been so powerful that he was able to cushion her fall without dying. Not to mention, he practically saved her life too in the process. She quickly sat from her position, though still on top of him.
“Uh, my bad! Thanks for saving me… It must have been hard to take my fall. Are you hurt anywhere? I can perform some basic treatment, so if you are hurt anywhere, just….”
She didn't finish her sentence, however. As the dust dissipated, she finally took in the sight of the person who caught her, leaving her at loss for words.
“Dan… Heng?”
She asked, unsure. The last time they parted was for him to reach the Express. But the man before her bore several differences to the Dan Heng she knows. Different horns, different eyes, heck, is he buffier than before?
“Are you… Dan Heng? What– no, How?”
“Don't tell me, did you…. ?”
She couldn't finish her sentence, her hand absently reached his cheeks, brushing the hair that framed his face gently. The horrors of the possibility that she tried to deny became visible right before her eyes.
“For how long?”
The man smiled bitterly. His hands reached hers, their overlapping warmth made him lean to the girl's palm.
“Before you ask more questions, let me reintroduce myself,” he paused as he kissed the back of the girl's hand that he was holding.
“I am the Guard of the Astral Express, your companion, Dan Heng the Nameless.”
She couldn't hold it anymore. Tears began to accumulate in her eyes. She lurched forward, hugging him in a tight embrace. He responded in kind, slowly releasing the tension he didn't realize he was holding. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent he has long forgotten, yet screamed home. His grip tightened. She was real. Not some kind of mirage. Not a dream that would disappear when he wakes up. She is Stelle, his companion, his lover that he has been waiting for a thousand years. The time he anxiously waited for every single day during those years had finally come. He began to lose it too. The tears began to form in his eyes once more. They held themselves tightly as both of them recovered from the reunion.
“I'm sorry I couldn't arrive sooner,” Stelle said between her sobs, apologetic to his extended wait.
“Sshhh. You're here now. That's all that matters,” He hushed her, his fingers wiped a stray tear that fell on her cheek. They shared the embrace for a while until the sobbing calmed down. Then, he invited the girl to his house. He never once let go of her hand until they reached their destination, as if afraid she'll be gone if he does.
As they walked, she noticed that he possessed a tail that had a different nature than his usual. The ridges that used to be covered by soft fur were now replaced with something hard; she wondered how it'll feel to the touch. Stelle would interrogate him to spill everything that he went through during her absence. By the time they reached his home, they laid on the bed face to face as they talked, his tail and hands never leaving her once.
The Flame Chase journey could wait, after all.